#2 The Power of Networking and Initiative

For a start, networks are everywhere. I don't just mean people or social networks. The Power grid is a network, so are transportation systems and even the nerve cells in our brain from a very complex network. The key thing about networks is that (and this is a fairly recent discovery) they are not random, but follow a very precise structure which is increasingly being found to apply to more and more facets of our lives. This structure therefore allows information to be passed between nodes very quickly and efficiently. This makes a network a very powerful thing. 

Now information as I see it is no good without something being done with it. This is where, in the case of people, initiative comes in.

How this works:

1.       A node (person) has a goal to accomplish.

2.       The node becomes part of a network.

3.       The network provides information to the node.

4.       This information is interpreted by the node and opportunities are recognized (not all information is useful).

5.       The node acts on the information to seize the appropriate (again due to the sheer volume of information not all opportunities will be suitable) opportunity and takes the initiative.

6.       The node's actions and initiative lead to the goal being accomplished.

So without the network and valuable information initiative is nothing. And without initiative the information is basically wasted.

To illustrate: (a method I find to be increasingly indispensable after reading “The Back of the Napkin”)

This is a network. Each person is only connected to the person immediately next to them.

Person (a) wants some information that only person (e) has. Normally (a) has to go through a chain of other people and this can be long and inaccurate.

 Now if (a) networks and makes a direct link with (e) information transfer is much faster and (a) can get the required information.

However there is a side effect of the people connected to (e) also being networked  to (a) via an additional step... more information and more opportunities. 

 Additionally the people who know (a) directly, through another step, also know (e) and (f) and (d).

 Soon enough, as you can probably imagine, everybody knows everybody else. One might think now there is stagnation, but wait...

Suppose (a) forges a link to (g) in another network. The networks are linked and more information is available.

Now everybody in the first network, through various intermediates, knows everybody in the second network.

Now, by previous reasoning, imagine several such networks and several such links. This is the web of human interaction. Imagine the huge volumes of information that can be attained and the vast opportunities discovered. Now imagine being (a). If you take the initiative and seize the right ( I emphasize right) opportunities, nothing is out of reach, nothing is impossible. However if you don't forge links or even worse, do nothing with the opportunities, accomplishing goals becomes very difficult. 

  

There is a concept out there called "six degrees of separation". The idea is that to communicate with any one in the world someone only has to go through six intermediates. This seems impressive given the roughly six billion people on this planet. This has now been shown to be very possible and the way in which it happens is governed by a mathematical formula. I believe that some details can be found in a book called, Linked: The New Science of Networks (a review can be found in the library). 

This, in essence is the power of networks and initiative.

Real world example ( my experience): 

Our I-team recently went on a field trip to the research park on the south side of campus.

We were given a tour of the labs and offices of many of the startups at work there.

The technical manager of one of the startups gave a presentation and his work was of great interest to me.

An expert in his field due to several years of research, him and his team worked on and developed exciting new technology that they are now using as the basis of their new business. After his presentation , some thoughts regarding this technology occurred to me. Although he seemed to be quite a formidable and busy chap, I nevertheless nervously wrote him an email regarding the ideas that I had. I received an unexpected reply a couple of days later to my astonishment. Not only did he give his opinion on my thoughts but also asked for further details and directed me to articles that had already been published. The result of this experiment surprised me. Taking the initiative worked! A dialogue has been established with someone who I otherwise would probably have never encountered. I must add that it was possible only through the network. As a part of the I-team, I had access to our ISA who in turn knew the former head of the Research Park who arranged the visit through the current head of the research park, who introduced us to the expert. The network provided the information and by emailing him I feel I have taken the initiative and seized the opportunity. Furthermore, it was a two way exchange as I provided  him with my ideas and got his opinions in return. I have emailed him again and hopefully will be able to keep and open dialogue in the future.